Container seam



' 22', 1936s F. KRUEGER l CONTAINER sEAM Filed May 6, 1956 INVENTOR BYf77/wai? /f//z/ey/f y ATTORNEYJ,

Patented, Dec.. 22, 1936 Frank Krueger, Brooklyn, N. Y., assigner ofonethird to Howard U. Herrick, Claverack, N. Y.,

and one-third to Heights, Ohio H. Finney, Shaker Application May 6,1936, Serial No. 78,271'

3 Claims.

l possesses greater strength, is capable of being made at more reducedcost, and results in a substantial saving inmaterial, as compared tosimilar constructions heretofore used and known in the art. Brieflyoutlined, the novel container 16 seam construction comprises a pluralityof spaced tongues extending away from the edge of one wall portion andengaging with a reversely bent or crimped edge on the other wall portionof the container,A whereby tensional force tend- 20 ing to pull the seamapart is resolved into shearing stress upon portions of the body ofmaterial. Such construction also includes the bonding or joining ofportions of the crimped edge directly to the body ofthe wall portion towhich they are contiguous, thereby producing a much firmer anchorage ofsuch crimped portions than has heretofore been possible where suchcrimped portions have' been bonded to the opposite wall of the seam, andnot their own adjoining wall portion. 1

The novel seam construction also provides abutments or shoulders adaptedto counteract the effect of compressive force exerted upon the seam andtending to force one wall portion into further overlapping position withrespect to the other. 'I'he construction possesses the further advantagein that there results a minimum thickness or bulge of material at theseam which not only produces a smoother and more sightly appearance, butalso permits a tighter and `bet- 'ter seal at the juncture of such seamwith another seam such as the top and bottom wall seams of thecontainer.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention shall become apparentas the following description proceeds.

' To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, saidinvention, then, consists of; the means hereinafter fully described andparticularly pointed out in the claims.

'I'he annexed drawing and the following description set forth in detailcertain structure embodying the invention, such disclosed meansconstituting, however, but one of Various Structural forms in which theprinciple of the invention may be used. y

In said annexed drawing: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a customaryform of container showing a side seam therein constructed according tothe principles of the invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectionalview of the side seam and taken substantially along line 2-2 of Fig. 1.Figs. 3 and 4 are disassembled, enlarged sectional views of the oppositewall portions which respectively form the assembled joint as shown inFig. 2; Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the seamillustrating one of the steps of assembly; Fig. 6 is an enlargedcross-sectional view of the seam taken 15 substantially along line 6-6of Fig. 1; and Fig. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the seamtaken substantially along line 1.-1 of Fig. 1.

Now referring more particularly to the drawing and in Fig. 1 thereof,there is shown a container having a cylindrical side wall I and endwalls such as the top wall 2 which are joined thereto by the end seamsor joints 3 and 4. The cylindrical side wall I has overlapping wall-portions which are joined to leach other at the side seam orijointindicated generallyby the nu- `:neral 5.

' Now directing attention toFig. 5, the side Wall pf the container hasoverlapping end portions 6 and 1. The wall portion 6 carries a reverselyso bent or crimped edge portion 8 which is adapted to iit under a seriesof spaced tongues as punch ed out of the opposite wall portion l,leaving the slots or openings I 0. vThe last described structure is thensubjected to a compressing and shaping. action by means o1 suitablerolls or dies R and RI. The lower roll or die R has a ilat face and theupper roll or die RI has a contoured surface which conforms to theresultant shape of one side of the seam as shown in Figs. 6 and 7.

V A bonding material, lsuch as solder in the case of a sheet metalcontainer, is applied to the parts of the seam, such as by a sweatingoperation, during its formation. The resultant and iinal form of theseam is best illustrated in Figs. 6 and '7. The crimped edges 8 areformed into portions 8i tting into the openings lll, and into otherportions 82 bonded directly to the over-- lapping wall portion 6 bymeans of the layer of 50 solder il. The edge portion of the overlappingwall portion 'l is bonded directly to the portion 6l of the oppositeoverlapping walll portion 6 by means of the layer of solder I2. Anotherportion 83 of the crimped edge 8 is formed into an 5s offset orrectangular contour which presents a shoulder for the reception of theedge of the opening I0. The bonding material on shoulder I3 joins thelast-named shoulder and edge to each other and thus presents acontinuous area. of sealed surface to surface contact throughout thelength of the seam.

The overlapping wall portion 6 also presents another shoulder portion 62which receives the end of the opposite overlapping wall portion 'I. lTheshoulders presented by the portions 62 and 83 thus serve as abutmentscounteracting any forces exerted upon the seam in the direction of thearrows A in Fig. 6.

Forces exerted in the opposite direction, or in the direction of thearrows B of Fig. 6 tend to place the overlapping wall portion 'l undershearing stress, which results in a much stronger joint as compared tothe ordinary double crimped seam wherein forces tending to pull thewalls of the seam apart are resolved into bending stresses tending tounwrap or to bend straight, the convolutions of the crimps.

It will be noted that the tongues 9 are so located as to be spaced fromeach other throughout the length of the seam, spaced from the lateraledges, viz., the top and bottom edges of the container side wall. I, andhave their base portions spaced inwardly from the'end edge of theoverlapping wall portion 'I and with their free ends extending in adirection away from such last-named end edge.

It will be noted from reference to Figs. 2, 6 and 7 that the maximumthickness of the seam at any point in its cross section is equal tothree wall thicknesses, or in other words, a three-ply thickness. Theretherefore results a substantial saving in the amount of metal requiredin the seam as compared to the amount of metal in a four-ply or six-plyseam of a double or triple crimped seam heretofore used in the art.

Further referring to Figs. 6 and '7, it will be seen that the exteriorside of the seam presents a substantially smooth and undeformed surfacewhich is not only of pleasing appearance, but also is well adapted forthe application of a protective coating or label on the container.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employedinstead of the one explained, change being made as regards the structureherein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the followingclaims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as myinvention:-

1. In a container seam, the `combination of overlapping wall portions,each having an end edge, one of said edges having a reverse bend, aseries of tongues in one of said overlapping wall portions interlockingwith the said reverse bend, said tongues having their base endspositioned inwardly from said end edge, and having their free endsdirected away from said end edge.

2. In a container seam, the combination of overlapping wall portions,each having an end edge, a reversely bent edge on one of saidoverlapping wall portions, a series of tongues in the other of saidoverlapping wall portions interlocking with said reversely bent edge,said tongues extending with their free ends directed away from and beingspaced from said end edge, bonding material joining those portions ofsaid bent edge which are not in engagement with said tongues to the bodyof its contiguous wall portion, and bonding material directly joining apart of said overlapping wall portions to each other.

3. In a container seam, the combination of overlapping wall portions, areversely bent edge on one of said overlapping wall portions, and spacedtongues struck out from the other of said overlapping wall portionsforming openings, said tongues being interlocked with said bent edge,and spaced shoulders in said bent edge adapted to receive the edges ofvsaid openings.

FRANK KRUEGER.

